Oil burner



S. WINKLER OIL BURNER March 24, 1931.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April l6, 1927 men/Z07 STEPHEN WINKLER March 24, 1931. s. WINKLER 9 OIL BURNER Filed April 16, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 S. WINKLER March 24, 1931.

OIL BURNER 4 Sheets-Sheet. 5

Filed April 16, 1927 lull;

STEPHEN WINKLER March 24, 1931. w 1,797,537

OIL BURNER Filed April 16, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor TEPHEN WINKLER Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEPHEN WINKLER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-T'HIRDS 'IO LOUIS H. LEHMAN AND LEON EDELSON, BOTH 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA OIL BURNER Application filed April 16,

This invention relates to fluid fuel burners and particularly to an oil burner of the rotary sprayer head type such as 1s shown 1n my co-pending application, Serial No. 150,463, filed November 24, 1926.

As in the case of said co-pending application, one of the primary objects of this invention is the design and construction of an oil burner which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which is at the same time highly eflicient in use and low in cost of up-kee A further object is the provision of an oil burner comprising relatively few parts and all of which parts may be assembled quickly and conveniently to form the complete burner unit.

A still further object is the provision of a detachable preheating unit normally operatively associated with the burner head for supplying a regulated quantity of preheated air to the atomized fuel during the normal operation of the burner.

A still further object is the provision of means for effectively commingling a quantity of air with the oil as the latter leaves the rotating sprayer head whereby to more effectively atomize the oil prior to ignition.

A still further object is the provision of a safety fuse in the immediate vicinity of the burner unit operative automatically to stop the flow of oil to the sprayer head in the event of fire in the bottom of the combustion chamber.

A still further object is the provision of an auxiliary tank into which oil is pumped and from which the oil is fed by gravity to an oil well located below the sprayer head the proportions of said tank and well being relatively such that under abnormal oil feeding conditions the oil will overflow from either the tank or the well, as the case may be, into a drip bucket whereby to operate a quick vacting switch to open the motor circuit and thus prevent any further supply of oil to the sprayer head.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a rotary pump, the impeller member of which is operatively connected to the driving motor, this pump being provided 1927. Serial No. 184,378.

with a plurality of radially reciprocable rollers arranged to travel along the inner wall surface of the pump casing as the impeller is rotated.

A still further object is the provision of a feeding mechanism substantially similar to that shown in the co-pending application above referred to for delivering the oil to the rotary sprayer head for effective atomization, the stationary element of this feeding mechanism, however, constituting in this instance, the conduit through which the pilot light gas is delivered to points just above the sprayer head. In an arrangement of this sort, the pilot flame serves to maintain the parts in the immediate vicinity of the sprayer head in a more or less heated condition such that the air and oil mixture at this point is of a relatively high temperature with the result that the ignition of this mixture is materially assisted. 1

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies of construction and operation will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. Structures constituting preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure l is a vertical side elevation of the complete rotary oil burner mechanism;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the burner unit proper equipped with the preheating unit and the safety fuse;

Figure 3 is a top plan view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly in see tion, showing the relative arrangement of operating motor, oil pump and auxiliary tank;

Figure 5 is a top plan view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevation View of the switch box containing the motor circuit controlling switch and the drip bucket for operating said switch;

Figure 7 is a horizontal View, partly in section, of the structure shown in Figure 6; and

Figures 8 and 9 are side and top plan views, respectively, of a modified form of air preheating unit.

In general this invention comprises a burner mechanism which is operated by an electric motor through a belt drive. The burner mechanism proper consists of a main pedestal member upon which is mounted an annu lar burning ring, the pedestal member and burner ring acting jointly to house the oil feeding device. This oil feeding device is founded in an oil well or reservoir supported or suspended in any suitable manner within the pedestal member and comprises essentially a pair of relatively rotatable members which are complementally formed with respect to one another to effect the delivery of the oil from the oil well or reservoir to a rotary sprayer head which is located at the upper end of the relatively rotatable members.

Operatively associated with the relatively rotatable members are a series of vanes or other means for circulating currents of air for intimate commingling with the oil mist which is tangentially projected from the rotary sprayer due to the centrifugal force generated by the rapid rotation of the head. In order to insure this intimate mixture of air and oil which is necessary for its efiicient combustion, the upper end of the annular burner ring is provided with. a substantially flat plate having a series of circumferentially spaced openings therein through which the air passes for intimate mingling with the oil mist which is projected tangentially from the sprayer head. An auxiliary air preheating unit is associated with the oil burner mechanism proper for directing a current of preheated air against the upper surface ofthe rotating sprayer head, this preheating unit being designed to come into operation immediately after the oil mist has been initially ignited. This preheating unit materially aids in the combustion of the fuel in that it supplies a greater amount of oxygen to the flame than in those instances where the preheating unit is not employed. The sprayer head itself is of a particular design calculated i unit. During normal operat1on of the burner the bottom of the combustion chamber, that to more effectively break up the raw fuel into finely divided parts prior to its being centrifugally projected from the head, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The feeding mechanism proper is substantially similar to that disclosed in the co-pendmg application, Serial No. 150,463 above referred to and, as in that case, the rotating elements of the present oil feeding mechanism are so arranged that they substantially float in oil without the provision or necessity of either ball or roller bearin gs, the fuel oil itself serving as the sole lubricant required.

As will appear more definitely hereinafter, the annular burner ring is arranged suhstan-' ti'ally concentrically with respect to the rotary sprayer head and means are provided for returning whatever oil has not been burned to the oil well or reservoir within which the oil feeding mechanism is founded.

Should the oil in this reservoir reach a certain predetermined level, provision is made for carrying the overflow back to a drip bucket which operates, upon being filled a certain amount, to actuate a switch'for opening the motor circuit. This motor is connected to the oil feeding mechanism of the burner proper by a flexible belt drive, the motor operating preferably with its shaft extending vertically. Mounted upon the upper end of this shaft is a rotary pump, the details of which will be described more fully hereinafter, and this pump serves to pump oil from the main supply tank to an auxiliary tank located in the immediate vicinity of the motor. This auxiliary tank has a capacity of about three to five times that of the oil well or reservoir in the burner unit proper, the oil being fed from the former to the latter by gravity through a suitable pipe connec tion. The auxiliary tank is also provided with an overflow leading to the drip bucket so that if the pipe leading from the auxiliary tank to the oil reservoir should become clogged up for any reason, the oil in the auxiliary tank will overflow into the drip bucket with the result that the motor circuit will be opened and the motor stopped. Inasmuch as the feeding mechanism for supplying oil to the sprayer head is dependent upon uninterrupted operation of the motor, it Wlll be evident that whenever the motor circuit is open it becomes impossible to supply 011 to the sprayer head. Nor will any oil be pumped into the auxiliary tank when the motor circuit is broken because the pump is also dependent upon uninterrupted operation of the motor for pumping oil into the auxiliary tank.

The invention provides for a further safety feature calculated to interrupt the operation of the burner in the nature of a fusible member forming part of the electrical circuit for motor, this member being mounted upon one side of the pedestal member of the burner is'that portion of the furnace chamber which is below the normal burner flame, is relatively cool. Should oil leak down into the bottom of the combustion chamber and so precipitate a fire therein, the fusible member will be melted with the result that the motor circuit will be opened whereby to prevent any further possibility of oil being delivered to the sprayer head or to any other part of the burner unit.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figure 1, it will be seen that the oil burner mechanism consists of an oil burner unit proper designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and an operating and controlling unit therefor designated generally by the reference numeral 11. The burner unit 10 will be first described. Es-

sentially this unit includes a lower pedestal member 12 upon the upper end of which is suitably positioned a substantially annular member 13. The pedestal member 12 is generally of the same form as that shown in the co-pending application'above referred to, the only difference being in the manner of supporting the oil well or reservoir 14 therein. In this particular instance, this oil Well or reservoir is cast integrally with the pedestal member with the open end thereof lying in a plane somewhat below the upper end of the casting 12. The shelf 15 which connects the upper end of the well 14 with the inner wall of the casting 12 is preferably downwardly inclined in order to provide a return into the oil well for any oil which might overflow from the upper portion of the burner. As in the earlier application, the bottom of the oil well 14 is provided with an enlarged interiorly threaded boss 16 for the purpose to be hereinafter described.

The upper casting 13, constituting the annular burner ring for the burner unit, is provided with a depending flange 17 arranged to snugly flt the upper external surface of the lower casting 12 and bolts 18 are provided for maintaing the castings 12 and 13 in proper relation. The burner ring 13 is provided in its interior surface with an annular channel or groove 19 and an interiorly projecting fannular flange 20, the channel 19 being vertically spaced from and outwardly oflset with respect to the flange 20. The internal surfaces of the annular burner ring 13 taper downwardly and inwardly to more readily direct the flow of any unignited oil bacl; into the oil well 14. To facilitate this downward passage of the oil from the upper channel 19 a passage way 21 is provided leading from this channeldownwardly toward the internal flange 20.

Projecting upwardly from the oil well 13 is a spindle or stem 22, the lower end of which is threaded into the boss 16 at the bottom of the well. This stem 22 is formed with a groove 23 in its exterior surface, this groove being preferably upwardly spiralled and extending substantially throughout the entire length of the stem. Closely surrounding this stem and constituting a cover for the groove 23 is a tubular member 24, the bottom of which rests upon a number of shims or washers 25 surrounding the lower portion of the stationary stem 22. These washers serve as a lower bearing'for the tube 24 which is rotatable with respect to the stem 22. A pulley 26 is fixed to the tube 24 for the purpose of imparting rotation thereto, this pulley being connected to a pulley 27on the operating motor 28 by a flexible belt 29. Fixed to the upper end of the rotatable member 24 of the burner, preferably by a set screw 30, is a sprayer head 31. The upper surface of this sprayer head! is provided with a plurality of concentrically arranged annular ridges 32, the edges of these ridges lying in planes one above the other so as to provide in effect a substantially dish-shaped sprayer head. Extending across the top of the upper casting 13 is a substantially circular cover plate 33, this plate being preferably provided with an integrally formed upwardly presenting flange 34. The'edge of the plate projecting outwardly from this flange 34 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches 35, the plate being further provided with a second and inner row of openings 36 arranged just to the inside of the flange 34. As most clearly appears in Figure 2, it will be seen that the sprayer head 31 is arranged to rotate in a plane immediately above the plane of the cover plate 33 with the upper edge of the outer ridge 32 thereof lying in a plane somewhat below the upper edge of the annular 11 standing flange 34. Secured to the rotatab e member 24 at a point immediate the pulley 25 and the sprayer head 31 are a plurality of air circulating vanes 37.

From the foregoing description of the burner unit shown in Figure 2, it will be seen that when the motor 28 is in operation, a rotative movement will be imparted to the the tubular member 24 and in turn to the sprayer head 31 and the air circulating vanes 37. As

suming that oil is being supplied to the oil" reservoir 14, in the manner to be h'ereinafter more fully explained, the relative movement between the tubular member 24 and the spirally grooved stationary stem 22 will result in oil being lifted from the oil well 14 through the spiral passage 23 to and upon the rotating sprayer head 31. Due to the rapid rotation of this sprayer head, the oil is projected tangentially therefrom in the form of a fine spray, the breaking up of the oil into minute particles being materially assisted by reason of the particular formation of the upper surface of the sprayer head. At the saine'time that the oil is being tangentially sprayed from the sprayer head, the air circulating vanes 37 force currents of air upwardly through the openings 35 and 36 of the top cover plate 33 into the path of the tangentially projected oil to effect an intimate miX- form of a substantially inverted U-shaped L pipe. The outer leg 42 of the preheating unit is suitably flared at its lower end for reception within the flanged opening 39, while the inner leg 43 thereof is arranged with its vertical axis in substantial alignment with the vertical axis of the stationary stem 22 of the oil feeding mechanism of the burner. As most clearly appears in Figure 2, the inner leg 43 of the preheating unit 41 terminates with its open end a short distance above the sprayer head 32. The burner unit l0, of which the preheating unit is apart, is, of course, located within the combustion chamber of the furnace and in order to render the preheating unit operative to supply a current of heated air directly upon the sprayer head 32 while the motor is in operation, the lower part of the combustion chamber is sealed from the upper part by a horizontally extending partition 44 extending between the outer surface of the upper casting 13 of the burner and the inner surface of the combustion chamber wall (not shown). An opening is provided in the sealing partition 44 immediately below and in registry with the opening 39 in the laterally extending plate 38. It will be apparent that during normal operation of the burner and after the atomized fuel has been ignited, the preheating unit 41 will be heated to a relatively high temperature such that the air which is more or less tortuously drawn therethrou h will be raised in temperature before it is dedivered upon the sprayer head 32. Naturally, by delivering this additional supply of preheated air to the initially vaporized fuel, the efficiency of combustion of the latter will be measurably increased.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a modified form of preheating unit wherein the laterally projecting plate 38, such as is shown in Figure 2, is dispensed with. In this modified form, the preheating unit is provided with a plurality of radially extending, downwardly curved hollow branches 45 of generally elliptical cross-section. The bottom ends of these legs are arranged to be seated upon the upper end of the burner casting 13 with their openings in registry with certain of the openings 35 in the cover plate 33. These branches 45, which are gradually reduced in cross-section from bottom to' top thereof, terminate at their upper ends in a central downwardly projecting branch 46, the lower end of whlch is open and terminates above the sprayer head 32. As in the form of the preheating unit illustrated in Figure 2, this modified form of unit serves to deliver a quantlty of preheated air directly over the sprayer head during the normal operation of the burner. In both forms of preheating units it will, of course, be understood that any suitable means may be provided for regulating the supply of air forced upwardly through the perforated cover plate 33 as well as the quantity of preheated air which is drawn into and through the preheating unit.

The operating and controlling mechanism of the burner will now be described. This mechanism, which has been designated generally by the reference numeral 11, includes a motor 28 arranged to operate about a sub stantially vertical axis. As has already been briefly mentioned, a pulley 27 is secured to the upper end of the motor shaft 47 and is connected to the pulley 26 of the burner unit through the flexible belt 29. Secured to the upper end of the motor shaft 47 above the pulley 27 is a rotary pump 48 including a main casing 49 within which an impeller member 50 is arranged for rotation. The casing 49 of the pump is mounted eccentrically with respect to the shaft 47 and is maintained in relatively fixed position in any suitable manner. The impeller member, which is arranged to rotate concentrically with respect to the motor shaft 47, is provided with a plurality of radially extending notches 51 within each of which is disposed a hardened steel roller 52. As the impeller member 50 is rotated, the rollers 52 are thrown outwardly by centrifugal force against the side wall of the casing 49 with the result that oil is drawn into the casing through the inlet 53 into the crescent shaped space 54 between the impeller and the pump casing. The rollers 52 then force the oil out of this crescent shaped space through the pump outlet 55 and into an auxiliary tank 56. It will be noted that the impeller at the side opposite the crescent shaped space is always in wiping contact with the casing and so provides an effective seal for preventing any of the oil from being carried back to the inlet port.

The auxiliary tank 56 into which the oil is pumped from the main supply tank is suitably supported by its legs 57 and is connected to the burner unit by a pair of longitudinally extending rods 58, these rods being preferably of a length sufficient to permit the proper positioning of the burner mechanism such that the auxiliary tank 56 and its associated parts are located outside of the furnace. Preferably the capacity of the auxiliary tank 56 is three to five times that of the oil reservoir 14 of the burner unit proper, and said tank and reservoir are interconnected by a horizontally extending pipe 59 through which oil flows by gravity from the former into the latter. It is ofcourse to be understood that any suitable overflow may be employed for maintaining any desired level in the tank 56, the surplus oil being returned to the main supply tank (not shown) through a suitable connection. In order to vary the tension of the belt drive 29, relative adjustment between the motor 28 and the auxiliary tank 56 is provided for by the use of a relatively adjustable cover 60 for the tank 56. This cover 60 is provided at the motor end thereof with a depending flange 61 to which the motor is secured. The pump casing 49 is also supported upon the tank cover 60 by a substantially Z-shaped supporting bracket 62 located between the opposite sides of the belt 29. Integrally formed bosses 63 are provided on opposite sides of the tank 56, these bosses threadedly receiving bolts passing through the elongated slots 64 in the cover 60 whereby to permit relative adjustment of the cover back and forth with respect to the tank 56 so as to permit the position of the motor and its pulley 27 to be changed as desired. Secured to one side of the auxiliary tank 56 is a switch box 60 within which is located a quick-acting switch mechanism 61 for controlling the motor circuit. This switch mechanism is actuated by. a pivoted lever 62 to one free end of which, as at 63, is pivotally connected a drip bucket 64. The lever 62 is maintained in tripped or untripped position by a spring 65, the tension of which is adjustable to vary the pressure necessary to trip the switch mechanism and thus open the motor circuit. An overflow pipe 66 is provided for returning any overflow from the oil reservoir 14 to, the drip bucket 64. A separate return 67 leads from the auxiliary tank 56 to the drip bucket 64. If, due to certain abnormal conditions in the system, oil is fed to the sprayer head without its being ignited, this unignited oil will flow back into the reservoir 14 and through the overflow pipe 66 into the drip bucket 64'. lVhen the weight of the oil in the drip bucket reaches a certain predetermined amount, the balancing force exerted by the spring will be overcome and the switch mechanism 61 will be actuated to open the motor circuit. Substantially the same action will take place should the line 59 be stopped up with the result that the oil in the auxiliary tank 56 will be caused to overflow by way of the return 67 into the drip bucket 64'.

Still another safety device is provided for the purpose of instantaneously stopping the motor when certain abnormal conditions arise. A fusible element 68, which is in series with the motor circuit, is mounted upon one side of the pedestal member 12 of the burner unit, the wires leading to this fusible element passing through a suitable conduit 69 extending between the switch box 60 and the pedestal member 12 of the burner. The fusible element 68 is preferably of the replaceable type and is designed to melt when subjected to heat of a certain predetermined temperature, as for instance, the heat occasioned by a fire in the bottom of the combustion chamber. Inasmuch as the fuse is connected in series in the motor circuit, its destruction for any reason will result in the opening of said circuit and so render the burner inoperative.

It only remains to describe the means for initially igniting the atomized oil. In the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, it is intended to supply gas for pilot light purposes directly to the sprayer head. For this purpose, the stationary stem 22 of the burner unit is centrally bored to provide a passage through which the gas may be supplied to a point immediately above the sprayer head. The upper end of this central passage is sealed as at 70 and one or more apertures 71 are provided at the top of the stem 2" immediately above the upper surface of the sprayer head 31. As will be well understood, the pilot flame will be projected outwardly from these apertures 71 in such manner as to effect ignition of the vaporized fuel.

I roni the foregoing description, the operation of the burner will be readily apparent. In order to start the burner in operation the motor circuit is closed by any suitable switch (not shown) whereupon the pump 48 is actuated to feed oil from the main supply tank (not shown) into the auxiliary tank 56. At the same time that the pump is actuated the oil feeding mechanism of the burner is also actuated to lift the fuel oil from the oil reservoir 14 through the passage 23 to and upon the rapidly rotating sprayer head 31. The fuel oil is fed to the reservoir 14 from the auxiliary tank 56 solely by the action of gravity and it will be evident that by merely changing the level of the oil in the tank 56 a greater or less quantity of oil will be maintained in the reservoir 14 with the result that more or less oil, as desired, will be carried to the sprayer head 31. The oil level in the tank 56 may be varied in any suitable manner or it may be maintained at a constant level by the use of a float-controlled valve (not shown). e quantity of oil which may be carried to the sprayerhead to be subsequently centrifugally thrown therefrom may also be changed merely by raising or lowering the tubular member 24 which is rotatable with respect to the stationary spindle 22. It is, of course, understood that this tubular member 24 is provided with means at its lower end similar to that disclosed in the co-pending application, Serial No. 150,463 for forcing the oil into and up through the passage 23.

It is, of course, understood that various other forms and modifications may be devised without essentially departing from the spirit of the invention and accordingly the invention in its proposed aspect is not intended to be limited or restricted in respect to details of assembly or construction and it is desired to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended cla ms.

What is claimed as new and useful is 1. In an oil burner, an oil feeding and atomizing mechanism comprising a pair of relatively rotatable members providing between them an upwardly extending passage for the oil, and a sprayer head carried by and arranged for rotation with one of said members, said passage terminating at a point above said sprayer head and said head being provided with a plurality of continuous concentric ridges across which the oil is initially centrifugally projected.

2. In an oil burner, an oil feeding and atomizing mechanism comprising a pair of relatively rotatable members providing between them an upwardly extending passage for the oil, and a sprayer head carried by and rotatable with one of said members, said passage extending to a point immediately above the upper surface of said head and said upper surface being provided with continuous concentric ridges outwardly and upwardly offset with respect to each other.

3. In an oil burner, a main pedestal member having an oil well suspended therein, the upper end of said well being open, an oil feeding mechanism founded in said oil well and projecting upwardly beyond the open end thereof, a substantially annular member supported upon said pedestal member, a substantially flat cover plate for said annular member, a sprayer head carried by said oil feeding mechanism and rotatable in a plane above said cover plate, and means for directing currents of air through and beyond said plate into the path of projection of the oil stream from said sprayer head.

4:. In an oil burner, upper and lower members jointly constituting a support and housing for an oil feeding and atomizing mechanism, said mechanism including a sprayer head arranged for rotation in a horizontal head and having an annular flange thereon. the upper edge of which lies in a plane above that of said sprayer head, and means for di-. recting air into the path of the oil spray whereby to effectively atomize the oil, said cover plate being provided with apertures therein through which said air passes.

5. In an oil burner, means constituting a support and housing for a centrally disposed oil feeding mechanism including a rotary sprayer head, a plate at the upper end of said means arranged immediately below the plane of rotation of saidsprayer head, an annular flange on said plate, the diameter of said flange being less than the diameter of said plate, and means rotatable with said sprayer head for forcing currents of air upwardly into the path of the oil'spray, said plate being provided with openings on opposite sides of said flange through WhlCh said air passes.

6. In an oil burner, a substantially dishshaped rotary sprayer head, means for feeding oil upwardly thereto for subsequent projection centrifugally therefrom, a removable plate having an annular wall adjacent the periphery thereof and surrounding said head, the plane of the upper edge of said wall being above the plane of the outer edge of said head, and a preheating unit supported independently of said annular wall and including one or more tortuous paths through which plane, a stationary cover plate for said hous; lng arranged immediately below said sprayer preheated air is delivered from outside of said wall to a .point above the center of said sprayer head.

7 In an oil burner, a housing for an oil feeding mechanism, an oil feeding mechanism centrally disposed therein, a'plate arranged at the upper end of said housing, said plate being provided with a pair of concentric rows of openings, means for directing currents of air upwardly through said openings, and a preheating unit mounted upon said housing, said unit being provided with a plurality of radially and. downwardly inclined hollow branches the lower ends of which are in registry with certain of said outer row openings while the upper ends terminate in a central downwardly presenting hollow branch.

Signed at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, this 12th day of April, 1927.

, STEPHEN VVINKLER. 

